Work-supporting and attaching means



y 1, 1934- J. M. WHELTON 1,956,815

WORK SUPPORTING AND ATTACHING MEANS Filed Jan. 2. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l//v VE/V 74W- sum.

M w awn May 1, 1934. J. M. WHELTON WORK SUPPORTING AND ATTACHING MEANSFiled Jan. 2, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mx lmlfi n l/E/V 717A. Tww aking, m

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Patented May l, 1934 UNITED STATE PATENT QFFICE WfiRK-SUPPORTING ANDATTACHING MEANS Application January 2, 1932, Serial No. 584,402

21 Claims.

This invention relates to means for supporting work-portions and forattaching them to one another, it being especially useful in connectionwith the securing of counters in turn-shoes hav- A shoe-support andmachine for this purpose are the subject of an application for LettersPatent filed in the United States Patent Ofiice on June 5, 1931, in thename of Frank W. Homan, said application being identified by the SerialNo. 542,364. In the Homan organization, an extensible jack may have atoe-section fixed against movement upon a slide carried by thecross-head of a counter-attaching machine of the type disclosed inLetters Patent of the United States No. 1,461,893, C0nner, July 17,1923, the heel-section of the jack being movable on the slide from thetoe-section to cause the upper of a jacked shoe to be forced against apasted counter which is within it. This produces adhesion between theupper and counter and draws the upper away from the inseam to smooth itover the counter. The movement of the heel-section brings the upper intoengagement with a clamping member, which, while yieldable underpressure, has no other movement imparted to it, being dependent upon thetravel of the jack-section to produce its upper-retain ing andconsequent smoothing effect. With the work stretched and clamped, thenailing of the counter is performed, preferably by moving the jackbeneath the nailing mechanism of the previously mentioned Connermachine. Operating in this manner upon shoes of different sizes and ofdifferent extensibility tends to render the clamping effect ununiformand to introduce uncertainty as to the location of the heel-section ofthe jack beneath the nailing mechanism. The smoothing action of theupper may therefore not vbe as desired, and the fastenings may beunsymmetrically driven into the counterflange. It is an object of myinvention to apply to the counter-portions of the uppers of jackedshoes, by means convenient for the operator to use, substantially thesame pressure, regardless of the size of the shoes and the character ofthe material, and to insure their unfailing alinement with nailingmechanism.

This end I gain by the employment of a jack jor work-support having rlatively movable sections each arranged for contact with a sup portedshoe, and a clamping member movable in a novel manner under theinfluence of a movable section of the support. The heel-section of thissupport is preferably fixed, while the toesection is movable toward andfrom it, the clamping member being brought into work-clamping relationto the heel-section from a position removed from the work by themovement of the toe-section. As a result of this, the portion of theshoe which is to be operated upon remains in a practically unvaryingposition upon the support, and the clamping member may be carriedthrough a constant distance to exert a definite efiect, whether thejacked shoe be small or large, and, consequently, whatever may be theextension of the jack by the travel of the toe-section. When such awork-support is mounted upon the slide of an attaching machine formovement into cooperation with nailing mechanism, means is provided fordetermining the relation of the fixed section to said mechanism, andcorrect alinement of the work-portions to be nailed with the nailingmechanism is made certain for all sizes, the position of the movablesection having no influence upon it. As herein disclosed, a lever has aclamping arm associated with the fixed jack-section and an actuating armco-operating with the movable section, there preferably being upon theactuating arm surfaces contacting with the movable section tosuccessively effect the clamping action and to retain such action withuniform pressure. The movable section may have means, as one or moredetents. and a cooperating rack or racks, for temporarily retaining itin this extended relation, together with means for latching said detentsout of their retaining engagement, to allow the movable section to bereturned to its normal position. There is further shown means forreleasing the latching means under the influence of the movement of thesection. The operator is thus relieved of the independent effort ofrelease. tents are used, one may have a portion engaged by the other, sothe withdrawal of one detent 9 from the rack will withdraw itscompanion.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated a counter-attaching machineembodying my invention in one form,

Fig. 1 showing a broken side-elevation;

Fig. 2, an enlarged side-elevation of the jack with the elements intheir work-receiving relation;

Fig. 3, a similar view upon a somewhat smaller scale, with the parts intheir operating relation; and

Fig. 4, a front elevation looking from the left in Fig. 2.

At 10 we have a portion of the frame of a counter-attaching machine,which may be generally When two de.

that of the Conner patent. Upon the frame is fixed a die-block 12, inwhich are vertical passages 14 to receive counter-attaching nails ortacks, and in which operate drivers 16 depending from a movable top-girtl8. Reciprocating vertically in the lower portion of the frame is acarrier member or cross-head 20, upon which is movable horizontally, amounting member or slide 22 guided in ways 24.

Upon the top of the slide is mounted a jack or work-support J, whichconsists of independent toeand heel-sections 26 and 28, respectively.Each section is in the form of a post or standard rising from the slide.The section 26 has a separable portion 30, and the section 28 a likeportion 32, these respectively generally corresponding in form to thetoeand heel-ends of a last. If desired, these portions 30 and 32 may bechanged, to cause them to better conform to the particular work beingoperated upon. The heelsection 28 of the jack is fixedly secured to theinner portion of the top of the slide 22, while at the outer portion areways 34, in which the toe-section 26 may move toward and from theheel-section. To produce this movement, a toggle-lever 36 is shown aspivoted at its extremities to the jack-sections, the center of thetoggle being joined by a connecting-rod 38 to a treadle 40. When theoperator depresses the treadle, the toggle is straightened to move thetoe-section away from the heel-section. A spring 42, uniting anextension 44 of one of the toggle-links to the frame, serves to breakthe toggle, restoring the toe-section of the jack to its initialposition adjacent to the heel-section, and at the same time lifting thetreadle.

To temporarily lock the toe-section 26 in its extended relation againstthe force of the spring 42, there are shown two detents 46 and 48pivoted upon said section, with their points staggered longitudinally ofthe ways 34, and drawn down by springs 49 upon the teeth of a rack 50fixed to the top of the slide 22. This double detent permits the lockingof the section 26 in shorter steps than when but one is employed, thoughthis latter arrangement may be satisfactory. Upon the detent 46 appearsan upstanding finger-piece 52, by which the jack-section 26 may bereleased for return to normal by the spring 42. The detent 48 may haveformed upon it a lateral projection 54 extending into the path of thefinger-piece, so, when the detent 46 is lifted by the operator, itscompanion is also raised, and the section 26 fully freed. To retain thedetents out of engagement with the rack, without effort on the part ofthe operator, while the toe-section of the jack is returning toward theheel-section, I have provided a latch 56 pivoted upon the toesection andhaving a surface 58 arranged for engagement with the finger-piece of thedetent 46 to hold said detent and the associated detent 48 elevated.During the contact of the detents with the rack, a latch-surface 60rests upon the fingerpiece. When the jack-section 26 reaches its normalposition, it is necessary that the detents again engage the rack inpreparation for the next operation. This is efiected, without specialeffort on the part of the operator, by a contactprojection 62 extendinghorizontally from the jack-section 28 and lying in the path of an arm 64depending from the latch below its pivot. As the section 26 reaches itsinitial position, contact of the latch-arm with the projection raisesthe latch, releasing the detents for engagement with the rack. The latchis held inactive as its surface 60 bears upon the finger-piece 52.

Fulcrumed upon the slide 22, just to the rear of the lower extremity ofthe jack-section 28, is a lever having three arms. One of these arms,72, extends upwardly, carrying at its upper end a clamping portion 74,which may be of rubber or like yieldable material, this portion beinghorizontally alined with the rounded rear wall '76 of the jack-section28, over which wall the counterportion of a jacked shoe will be located.A depression '78 in the clamping portion 74 furnishes better engagementwith the rounded surface of the work. The arm 72 is held normallyretracted by a spring joining an arm 82 of the lever 70 to the slide 22.The third arm, 84, of the lever extends forwardly beside the lowerportion of the jack-section 26 and has upon its upper edge, adjacent tothe section, a cam-surface considerably inclined to the horizontal at 86and being, at 88, substantially horizontal in the clamping position ofthe arm 72. Projecting from the section 26 is a contact member, shown asa roll 90, lying, in the work-receiving position of the jack, near thelower end of the lever-surface 86. While the toe-section 26 of the jackis being moved forward to tension the upper of the jacked shoe, the rollrides up the surface 86, depressing the lever-arm 84 against the forceof the spring 80 and moving the arm '72 anti-clockwise (Figs. 2 and 3)until the portion '74 comes into clamping relation with the surface '76of the jack. The cam-surface is so situated that, just as the properclamping pressure is attained, the roll 90 passes on to thelever-surface 88. This is now approximately horizontal, so a furthertravel of the jacksection 26 simply causes the roll 90 to advance alongthe surface 88, Without movement of the lever 70, thus maintainingconstant the pressure which the surface 86 has created. Obviously, thismaintenance of a chosen pressure will be independent of the size of theshoe being operated upon and of the extent to which its material maystretch.

In using the apparatus in the form illustrated, at the beginning of theoperation the slide 22 is in its outer position on the cross-head 20, sothe jack J is clear of the nailing mechanism. The toe-section 26 of thejack will be drawn by the spring 42 to its rearward position nearest tothe heel-section 28, the detents 46 and 48 having been released from therack 50 at the termination of the previous operation upon manipulationby the operator of the finger-piece 52. During this rearward travel ofthe section 26, the latch 56 will hold the detents raised. They will,however, be freed from the latch and restored to engagement with therack by the action of the projection 62 upon the latch, just as thesection reaches the work-receiving position. This is as appears in Figs.1 and 2. A counter C, with its outside coated with paste, is applied tothe top of the heelsection 28 (Fig. 2). A turn-shoe, right side out,with the material in temper and with the lining L loose and dependingfrom the upper U, is taken by the operator, and the heeland toe-endspressed toward each other. The tee is slipped over the forward plate 30of the jack, and the rear portion brought over the top of theheel-section 28 and the counter thereon. There is sufficient excess oflength of the shoe over the separation between the opposite outerextremities of the jack-sections so the operator may draw down the rearof the shoe until the inseam I is substantially below thework-contacting face of the plate 32 He thus holds the shoe andgradually depresses the treadle 40, so the forward travel of the section26 tends to straighten the sole and attached upper. Before this hasproduced any substantial tensioning effect, the surface 86 of theleverarm will have been swung down by the travel of the roll over it,carrying in the arm 72 until the portion 74 clamps the rear of the upperagainst the counter and said counter against the jack. The degree ofthis pressure may be quite definitely fixed by the angle and extent ofthe surface 86, so it will be substantially constant. The desired forcehaving been thus exerted, the roll 90 passes to the surface 88, whichhas been brought by the oscillation of the lever to an approximatelyhorizontal position. The plate 30 is now so engaging the toe of theupper U that a tensioning of said upper begins, drawing the inseamupwardly over the wall '76 of the heel-section toward its naturalposition just inside the edge of the plate 32. But the member '74 is nowin frictional engagement with the upper, resist ing its movement. As aresult, the upper is simultaneously pulled smoothly over the counter Cand pressed against its pasted surface (Fig. 3). All the wrinkles arethus removed from the upper, and perfect adhesion between the partsassured. When the proper tensioning and smoothing effect has beenapplied to the upper by the forward movement of the section 26, the rearof the sole S will be correctly located with respect to the flange ofthe counter over the upper surface of the plate 32, and the operatorreleases the treadle. The section 26 remains locked in its extendedrelation by the engagement of either the detent 46 or 48 with the rack50. The slide 22 is then moved back under the die-block 12 to a pointdetermined by an adjusting-screw 94: threaded into a bracket rising fromthe cross-head 20, said screw contacting with the slide. On account ofthis adjustment and the definite position of the heel-portion of thejacked shoe as established by the unvarying location of the heel-section28 upon the slide, that area of the sole over the counter-flange inwhich it is desired to drive the attaching nails will be in the correctvertical alinement with the passages 14. The operator may thereforeraise the cross-head 20 until the shoe is pressed against the under sideof the die-block, supply nails or other fastenings to the passages 14,and start the machine in action. Thereupon, final pressure is suppliedto the work and the drivers 16 descend and insert the nails to completethe attachment of the counter. After the retraction of the drivers, theoper ator pulls out the slide 22 with the jack J, releases the detentsby drawing forward the finger-piece 52 so said detents are held raisedby the latch 56, and removes the work for further operations upon it.These may include the pasting of the interior of the counter C and theturning-in and securing of the lining L upon the coated surface.

In applying my invention to the driving of the counter attaching nailsby hand, the member 22 may be in the form of a base fixedly attached toa bench. The jack-structure and the manner of use may be as justdescribed, except that, having tensioned and clamped the upper, theworkman drives the attaching nails with a hammer.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination with a shoe-support provided with sections having arelative movement of approach and separation and each arranged forcontact with the interior of a supported shoe to apply tension to theopposite extremities thereof, of a member movable into clamping relationto the exterior of the shoe-portion being tensioned, such movement beingunder the influence of a section of the support during the movement ofseparation.

2. The combination with a shoe-support provided with relatively movablesections, of a clamping member for the supported shoe movable intoclamping relation and thereafter maintaining throughout the movement ofthe sections a substantially constant clamping effect under theinfluence of a movable section .of the support.

3. The combination with a shoe-support provided with heelandtoe-sections relatively movable toward and from each other, of aclamping member, and means arranged to move the member from a positionremoved from the work into work-clamping relation to one of the sectionsduring a portion of the relative movement of said sections in onedirection and for maintaining the clamping efiect constant during theremainder of such section-movement.

4. The combination with a shoe-support provided with heelandtoesections, one of said sections being movable and the other sectionfixed against movement, of a member movable under the influence of themovable section into workclamping relation to the fixed section.

5. The combination with a shoe-support provided with a heel-sectionfixed against movement and a toe-section movable toward and from theheel-section, both of said sections being arranged to enter a shoe andcause it to be stretched by the movement of separation between thesections, of a clamping member movable into workclamping relation to theheel-section only after the stretching of the work has been initiated.

6. The combination with a shoe-support provided with a heel-sectionfixed against movement and a toe-section movable toward and from theheel-section, of a clamping member movable into work-clamping relationto the heelsection under the influence of the toe-section during itstravel away from the heel-section.

'7. The combination with a shoe-support provided with heelandtoe-sections, one of said sections being movable and the other sectionfixed against movement, of a member movable under the influence of themovable section into work-clamping relation to the fixed section duringthe initial movement of separation of the movable section and formaintaining substantially the same clamping effect during the remainderof such section-movement.

8. The combination with an extensible jack having relatively movableheeland toe-sections, of a movable clamping member co-operating with thejack, and connections to the movable section for moving the clampingmember.

9. The combination with an extensible jack having a fixed section and amovable section, of a lever provided with a work-clamping armcooperating with the fixed section and an actuating arm co-operatingwith the movable section.

10. The combination with an extensible jack having a fixed section and amovable section, of a lever provided with a work-clamping armcooperating with the fixed section and an actuating arm provided with aclamping surface and with a retaining surface contacting with themovable section.

11. The combination with an extensible jack the heel-section,

having a fixed section and a movable section, of a lever provided with awork-clamping arm 00-- operating with the fixed section and an actuatingarm provided with a cam-surface, there being a surface upon the movablejack member for contact with the cam-surface.

12. The combination with an extensible jack having a fixed section and amovable section, of a lever provided with a work-clamping armcooperating with the fixed section and an actuating arm provided withsurfaces extending at diiTerent angles, there being a surface upon themovable jack member contacting successively with the arm-surfaces.

13. The combination with a mounting member, of a jack having aheel-section fixed against movement thereon and a toe-section arrangedto slide upon the mounting member toward and from the heel-section, aclamping lever fulcrumed upon the mounting member for co-operation withthe fixed heel-section from which it is normally spaced, means arrangedto simultaneously move the toe-section away from the heel-section andthe lever through the separating space into clamping relation to theheel-section, and means for locking the toe-section and lever in theiractuated positions.

14. In an attaching machine, nailing mechanism, a reciprocatory carriermember, a slide movable upon the carrier member into and out ofco-operation with the nailing mechanism, a jack having a section fixedagainst movement upon the slide and a section movable toward and fromthe fixed section, a clamping member movable into and out ofco-operation with the fixed section, and means arranged to determine therelation of the fixed section to the nailing mechanism for the nailingoperation.

15. In a counter-attaching machine, nailing mechanism, a reciprocatorycross-head, a slide movable upon the cross-head into and out ofcooperation with the nailing mechanism, a jack having a heel-sectionfixed upon the slide and a toesection movable upon the slide toward andfrom a counter-clamping member movable upon the slide and cooperatingwit the heel-section of the jack, and a stop arranged to determine thealinement of the heel-section of the jack with the nailing mechanism.

16. In an extensible jack, relatively movable sections, means fortemporarily retaining a jacksection extended, means for latching saidretaining means out of its active relation, and means for releasing thelatching means under the influence of the relative movement of thesections.

1'7. In an extensible jack, a fixed section, a movable section, a detentpivoted upon the movable section, a relatively fixed rack with which thedetent may contact, a latch pivoted upon the movable section forengagement with the detent, and a contact member against which the latchis carried in the movement of the section to release the detent.

18. The combination with a mounting member, of a jack-section fixedagainst movement thereon, a jack-section movable pen the mountingmember, a rack secured to the mounting member, a detent pivoted upon themovable jack-section for engagement with the rack, and a latch pivotedupon the movable jaclosection for engagement with the detent, therebeing a projection from the fixed jack-section for contact with thelatch.

19. In an extensible jack, a fixed section, a movable section, a detentpivoted upon the movable section, a relatively fixed rack with which thedetent contact, a latch pivoted upon the movable section for engagementwith the detent, a contact member against which the latch is carried inthe movement of the section to release the detent, and means for movingthe movable jacksection and thereby causing the contact of the latch andmember.

20. In an extensible jack, a fixed section, a movable section, twodetents pivoted upon the movable section, and a relatively fixed rackfor contact with the detents, one of said detents being provided with aportion for engagement by the other detent during its separation fromthe rack.

21. In an extensible jack, a fixed section, a movable section, twodetents pivoted upon the movable section, a relatively fixed rack forcontact with the detents, one of said detents being provided with aportion for engagement by the other detent during its separation fromthe rack, and a latch for engagement with said other detent and arrangedto temporarily hold both detents separated from the rack.

J OHN M. NHELTON.

